Very efficient syntheses of crystalline (plus)-reticuline, 6'-bromoreticuline and 6'-iodoreticuline have been developed to provide substrates for phenolic oxidation experiments aimed at practical synthesis of salutaridine or derivatives (which can be converted to codeine by existing methods). Conditions for synthesis of solutaridine or derivatives in high yield have not yet been found, however these experiments have provided high yields of other compounds which are valuable starting materials for synthesis of potentially important isopavine alkaloids.